anti limited presents

This evening I took a rather exciting and unplanned 4×4 journey via Colden Clough to Lumb Bank from Hebden Bridge, after the heaviest snowfall of the year so far. My mate had to go and feed his sheep so I tagged along. Some things don’t stop for the weather … ruminants need their feed no matter what. The unexpected diversion meant stunning quantities of snow, tough driving, and a beautiful view. Real picture-book scene.

The photo is misleading: despite what you see here it was pretty dark. A few lit windows in nearby buildings, a faint sodium orange cast on the clouds, and that unnatural shimmer of snow carpeting the ground were all that illuminated the view. The magic comes from a long exposure to bring out all the detail. For the geeks, shot as a series of single 30sec exposures, f8, 1600ISO.

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This bothy is at Over Phawhope, near Ettrick; miles from the nearest habitation and nestled deep in the hills. I was staying here on the night this was shot, and after hours of showers during the evening, the clouds parted and the moon rose.

Clouds raced from the west, rising over the hills and rolling, boiling and furious, across the almost-full moon. The resultant light was stunning: the flickering rays and backlit clouds forming a stunning three dimensional zoetrope-like lightshow. Captured by a 20 second exposure in this photo, the clouds becomes stretched and diaphanous and the moonlight brilliant, creating deep shadows and a wonderfully surreal skyscape. I’ve never seen the moon cause a lens flare before!

Blissful tranquility, wonderful natural beauty, and perfect solitude. Quite magical.

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Click below for a fullscreen 360° view of the scene in Flash or QuickTime format, or locate the scene in Google Earth.

Enjoying some late night entertainment and silliness after a Jam Street Café session. Timmy Diamond usurps Tim Inserted from his normal place behind the decks … just before the crazy Ibizan liquor came out to finish us all off for the night …

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I was lucky enough to be asked to shoot this wonderful shop in nearby Hebden Bridge: I’ve had a soft spot for Radiance since I moved to the area. The owner, Hannah Nunn, designs & produces internationally acclaimed lighting on the premises, and also stocks a wide range of contemporary lights, craft and homewares from other designers. I urge you to visit the shop’s website and have a closer look at what’s on sale.

Shooting the shop in the evening gave due prominence to the stunning range of products against the dark canvas of Market Street outside: a warm oasis of light on a winter’s night. I shot five exposures in RAW and tone-mapped them to fully capture the wide dynamic range of the light and contrast, and the result is exquisite!

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Another taste of winter: this time it’s Blackstone Edge Reservoir. Partially frozen and dusted in snowy tiger stripes, the cold expanse of water lies under a sky lit by the major urban areas around: Rochdale, Burnley, Halifax and Huddersfield. I stood on the edge of Turvin Road, under this signpost and tried to avoid car headlights in the long exposure time needed to capture the soft light. After a while I gave up and let this driver light up the view.

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Watty Lane, Gauxholme, Todmorden.

Shot on a very raw and bitter winter’s night above Todmorden. This is only a few minute’s walk from my house, and was primarily a test of my new gloves (I’d been promising myself a pair of decent photographers gloves for ages) with the secondary excuse of getting a bit of exercise on an otherwise grim night.

6x 30 second exposures @ 100 ISO: the lens got spattered by sleet and snowflakes and the wind shook the tripod heavily as I huddled to shoot this. It came out remarkably well, all things considered.

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All the tourist guides mention this rather lovely wooden house, (actually a prefab from Norway), as being the scene of the historic Cold War summit in 1986 which marked the turning point in relations between east and west. Gorbachev and Reagan sat down here and managed to hammer out reciprocal arms reduction deals, probably in between great seafood. What the books don’t portray is how diminutive the house is: it doesn’t look like it would fit even a small proportion of the US President’s security detail these days.

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A night time view of Liverpool: European City of Culture 2008. Standing with Albert Dock behind, and looking towards Pier Head and the Three Graces (The Royal Liver, Cunard and Port of Liverpool buildings).

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Inside the main concourse at Liverpool One, the newest and biggest retail development in Liverpool. I loved the lighting, walkways and the raindrops on the metalwork in this scene.

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Some friends recently held their wedding at this wonderful venue in Ibiza. It lies overlooking a small secluded bay on the eastern coast of Ibiza, the famed ‘white isle’ in the Mediterranean. The weather was perfect, and as dusk fell the venue’s illuminations cast a surreal glow on the partygoers. We ate great food and toasted the couple and the speakers under the stars (the barbeque is clearly visible and was still warm when this picture was taken!).

I shot this as Andy, one of the guests, was at the climax of his party piece – a breathtaking performance with fire sticks. As he had to substitute a barbeque gel for the more usual paraffin he later revealed an impressive collection of low-intensity burns on his arms from the spattering fuel. Not a pastime for the fairhearted!

I loved the intensity of the lights and fire on the beach, and knew it would make a great panorama for this event. Thanks to Jack and Vix for the wedding invite: it was truly a night to remember, and I’m happy to have captured a flavour of the occasion.

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